Possible shark sighting off Gooseberry Island closes three beaches

Swimmers were ordered out of the water Wednesday afternoon after a fisherman reported seeing two sharks, police and state officials said.

ARIEL WITTENBERG and CURT BROWN

Swimmers at Horseneck Beach and Gooseberry Island in Westport and Demarest Lloyd State Beach in Dartmouth were ordered out of the water Wednesday afternoon after a fisherman reported seeing two sharks, police and state officials said.

State police sent out a tweet about the report after a fisherman with binoculars at Gooseberry Island spotted the sharks at 11:45 a.m. while sitting in his truck, according to State Police Spokesman Lt. Dan Richard.

Department of Conservation and Recreation Spokesman William Hickey said one of the sharks was an adult and the other was a juvenile. The juvenile shark was closer to shore. It is unclear whether the sharks were traveling together or even the same species.

The sighting prompted the closing of Horseneck, Gooseberry and Demarest Lloyd to bathers. DCR manages the state beaches at Horseneck and Demarest Lloyd.

"Public safety is our priority," Hickey said, explaining the decision was made about noontime.

The three beaches remained closed to swimming Wednesday and are scheduled to reopen today unless there is a new development, Hickey said.

On Wednesday, signs telling people to stay out of the water were posted and lifeguards made announcements about the sighting, he said.

Horseneck Beach staff members said a state police helicopter had been seen looking for the shark Wednesday afternoon. A state police spokesman said the copter was en route to Martha's Vineyard and flew over Westport after the shark report came in.

A Horseneck Beach staff member also searched for the sharks on a Jet Ski to try and determine their species, but Head Lifeguard Sean Sweeney said there was no sign of them.

He said swimmers shouldn't be too worried about sharks at the beach later in the week, but noted, "It's the ocean."

"Whether we see them or not on a daily basis, they do live out there," he said.

Westport Harbormaster Richard Earle said the man who spotted the sharks is a former commercial fisherman who "says he knows sharks."

The fisherman told Earle that he only saw the dorsal fins and the shadows of the sharks and thought they were great white sharks.

Earle said he wasn't so sure, noting that the Discovery Channel is currently airing its popular "Shark Week" programming.

"When it's 'Shark Week' on TV, who knows," he said. "Everyone's just hoping for a great white."

Beachgoer Dianna Cervello of Easton was no exception, calling the sighting "the greatest day of my life" despite her inability to swim in the ocean Wednesday because of it.

Cervello, who is a fan of "Shark Week" said she "could not think of better timing for sharks to be out there."

She said she had asked a lifeguard if there were sharks when she arrived at the beach and was gleeful when the shutdown happened in the late morning.

"I've waited my entire life for this day," she said.

Despite the swimming ban, many beachgoers remained at Horseneck Wednesday afternoon, sunbathing and dipping their toes in the water. Every so often lifeguards would blow their whistles, warning those who had waded too far into the water to get closer to land.

Jim Perrello of New Jersey was at Horseneck Wednesday with his family on vacation.

He said they aren't worried about swimming there later in the week, but added he was inspired by the shark report to rent the movie "Jaws" for the next "rainy day activity."

Perrello's family just happened to have brought a shark-shaped kite to the beach Wednesday. Flying it in the afternoon, 14-year-old Max Perrello joked that it had been meant to "ward off the sharks."